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Show "VAMPS" WHO t I MADE HISTORY By JAMES C. YOUNG. cc, l.y Mim iutp Ncvvf p;.tpr S n'llcitt ) THE OPERA STAR WHO 'VAMPED' A NATION. WE AUK accustomed to somewhat extravagant stories about opera stars, niirl put these down lo "tcmpiia-incut." "tcmpiia-incut." Hilt the maddest escapades of our must privileged artists would seem mild compared to those of Mademoiselle Mad-emoiselle I.n Maupln, who reigned si Hie Paris opera in the hitter days vZ tlic Seventeenth century. La Maupln was a child of genius, If one ever lived. Beautiful, talented, and thoroughly willing to use her charms, she may he said to have "vamped" the nation, doing with it as she pleased. In her youth, when still a nohoily, she was married to a prosaic pro-saic husband whom she soon left for a handsome fencing master. He taught her to fence, and site became one of the best swordsmen In JFran'-e. "Swordsmen" is used advisedly, for she Always fought as a man. In her male role La Maupln went to Marseilles. There she wooed and won a handsome young lady of the town. Then, like any gallant, she eloped wlili the damsel. The girl's father pursued, just as he should have done, according to all the stories. La Maupin found herself so hard pressed that she took refuge in a convent with the girl. Church properly was then a sanctuary. sanctu-ary. Rut La Maupln must get away again, and that promised to be dlfli-cult. dlfli-cult. So she tired the convent, and . fled In the excitement. The father still pursued her. She was caught, the girl rescued, and La Maupln sentenced sen-tenced to the stake. She "vamped" her jailer and escaped. Back at the I'aris opera, the capital took her to its bosom and the city rang with her exploits. The decree of burning burn-ing was forgotten. La Maupin had ris-pn ris-pn above the law. Her most famous achievement took place at a ball where she appeared in male clothing. And like a rude cavalier, she offended a woman. A man friend of the woman ; invited La Maupin outside. She ran him through the body. Another man followed, and died on her sword. Then a third came, and met the same end. Her friendship with ministers and 'powerful men of the times made her a person to be feared and courted. I She dispensed favors as her whlmsi-; whlmsi-; cal will dictated. The elector of Bavar-: Bavar-: ia carried her off to Brussels, but site bad not been there long when he sent her a purse hy the hand of a man whose wife had just taken the elector's , fancy. And this man brought a car-; car-; riage, with Instructions that La Maupin Mau-pin start for I'aris. La Maupin died in 1707 at the age j of thirty-three. I ' . |